Disclaimer
This article is not meant to intrude into situations that require medical and or psychological intervention. The recommendations are not intended to replace any prescribed medication. Always consult with your medical practitioner first. |
Warning
PMDD = premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This is a very severe form of PMS and needs medical attention. Here is an article on it: https://www.webmd.com/women/pms/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder |
Man – if – it – would – just – pause!
I’m sure that this is how many of you feel about these cycles in your lives! But let’s dive into these cycles and see what we can do with essential oils!
Despite being in the 21st century, women are still not as informed, as well-assisted and well-understood as we have hoped for.
Shock and disappointment.
When I started reading up a on the whole concept of women’s cycles, I was utterly shocked to discover how recent the information that we now have at our disposal, is.
I felt a deep compassion for women who on so many topics specifically connected to female health, have been misunderstood, and subjected to ridiculous theories and practices.
In general, women’s cycles have over the centuries been a mystery – and often a reason for declarations of being impure, untouchable, and spiritually unclean.
Diverse cultures
There have also been a few cultures that celebrated the onset of womanhood, as well as the end of reproductive years in a positive way, like that of the Apache.
Very broadly borrowing some ideas from Judaism:
In Judaism women need to abide to certain rituals concerning purity during their productive years. This includes a time of sexual abstention of about 2 weeks during and after menstruation.
At the end of each menstruation cycle a mikvah or ritual bath is taken to symbolise purity.
(A mikvah is a special ritual bath where you can fully submerse yourself. It is - very broadly interpreted - a ritual signalling separation between one state of being and another and has a very strong spiritual connotation).
If one considers that the ‘impure’ part, according to certain websites, has to do with the potential loss of potential life since it is not merely blood that is discharged, and the mikvah has to do with the power of life-giving water, one feels less agitated about it being called impurity.
Although no-one admits it on any website, it is just logical that when marital relationships are resumed after the purification process, the women will be at her most fertile as well - my, my, my...
This period of abstention between husband and wife also serves two more purposes:
- Women being able to navigate this uncomfortable time each month in privacy without having to tend to their husband’s needs,
- and a certain ‘honeymoon feeling’ of looking forward to being together again.
Baby boomer
I know that some of you on the group are baby boomers or have baby boomer mothers. This implies that many of us have grown up with quite a bit of hush-hush around female cycles. This was in general not conducive to being a full-rounded woman. And so, I have over the years decided to think differently on womanhood than my mother and grandmother did.
Embracing the mysteries
As a younger woman, I have started to embrace all the ups and down of cycles - “listening” to my body as it rode the waves of sadness, depression, irritability, joy, elation, and mixed feelings on intimacy as they came and went.
I decided to accept, connect better to, and use the quieter, more mysterious side of womanhood to my advantage.
I discovered something wonderful – accepting all the physical and emotional changes, made me feel alive like never before.
Instead of complaining about everything related to my cycles, I decided to go inward, and obeyed and served my body that has given me so much joy with its strength, childbearing abilities, and its innate beauty.
I accepted the pure intensity of emotions like sadness, melancholy, joy, and even premenstrual depression and the elation of coming out of it again.
Unmarried women and women without children:
Those who don’t have families or husbands, are of course included in this, since they also enjoy a youthful strength, beauty, and energy during their younger years. Their beauty – reserved only to themselves – is often of an extra-ordinary depth and different than the beauty motherhood and being a wife brings.
My own “mikvah”
I am very respectful of the ancient Jewish culture, and don’t even imagine to really be part of it or fully understand it, but truly – steeped in so many years of wisdom - some of the rituals make a lot of sense.
So, I borrowed the idea of a mikvah, and privately one day celebrated the end of being a young woman, and gave myself permission to be over 50, wiser and calmer, and to have other functions in life than being young.
This ritual - to consciously separate the two phases of my life - brought immeasurable peace, depth in my experience of being a woman, and an awareness of new beginnings.
Bring some change.
Perhaps we should start celebrating all these phases more actively with our daughters, or at least speak to them about it, in order for them to become more and more free as women – something that is far, far, from having been accomplished.
I hope that you find some wisdom in these ideas too!
Essential oils and female cycles:
I will be writing two separate posts and PMS and essential oils and Menopause since there are so may oils available to assist.
Sources:
I have been reading up on this topic for some time, and some of my information is from memory, and from talking to people of various ages and cultures.
The website I consulted most recently was:
Kind regards
Carina Falck
Contact: Carina Falck 060 526 1422
Disclaimer
The use of essential oils must be done responsibly and does not replace any medical treatment. It is used at your own risk.
Comments